Development of an odor wheel classification scheme for wastewater.

Overall, in the air pollution control field, odor concentration and intensity as well as hedonic rating have been well studied to the point where some level of standardization is being developed or is already in place. However, there has been no standardization with respect to odor quality characterization. There is now sufficient understanding of the types of odorous compounds that can arise from wastewater treatment processes to develop an odor classification scheme. This article presents the first wastewater odor wheel or classification scheme that should form the foundation for the evolution of odor quality data reporting with links to chemical causes.     

Finite difference discretization of the extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equation in two dimensions

Approximate solutions are considered for the extended Fisher-Kolmogorov (EFK) equation in two space dimension with Dirichlet boundary conditions by a Crank-Nicolson type finite difference scheme. A priori bounds are proved using Lyapunov functional. Further, existence, uniqueness and convergence of difference solutions with order O(h²+k²) in the L^∞-norm are proved. Numerical results are also given in order to check the properties of analytical solutions.     

New lignocellulosic fibres-reinforced composite materials: A stepforward in the valorisation of the Posidonia oceanica balls

In this work, new lignocellulosic particles obtained from Posidonia oceanica were studied to reinforce a commercial biodegradable thermoplastic matrix. First, these reinforcing fillers were characterised by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies. Then, they were used to prepare several composite films using BIOPLAST GF 106 matrix. Different P. oceanica fragment loadings, namely 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% (w/w with respect to the matrix) were investigated. The morphology of the ensuing materials was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas their thermal and mechanical properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile tests. The obtained results showed that P. oceanica-based particles enhanced the thermo-mechanical properties of the thermoplastic matrix.     

Occurrence and removal of chloro-s-triazines in water treatment plants

Atrazine, simazine, and propazine and their major chlorinated degradates (deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, and didealkylatrazine) are considered as a group to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. On this basis, regulatory action levels are currently under consideration for the total chloro-s-triazine (TCT) levels in drinking waters. To assess the concentrations of each of these species in drinking water and their treatability in conventional water treatment, a comprehensive, full-scale studywas conducted that included frequent monitoring at 33 and 47 water utilities during 2003 and 2004, respectively. Approximately 900 paired raw and treated water samples were analyzed using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method with preconcentration using a mixed-mode, solid-phase extraction that allowed quantitation of each species including didealkylatrazine. The results showed that atrazine concentrations were generally well within the 3 microg/L maximum contaminant level (MCL) and that simazine and propazine concentrations were generally negligible. Ninety-fifth-percentile values for the ratio of TCT/atrazine were 4.8 and 4.7, respectively. Effectiveness of conventional treatment technologies, including carbon, was observed to vary significantly. Concerns that didealkyatrazine concentrations may be high and significantly elevate the TCT appear to be unfounded. In general, the results suggest that potential treatment requirements for TCT are not likely to be any more difficult for utilities to meet than the current requirements for atrazine.     

Modelling of heat and mass transfer in a tunnel dryer

This work presents a numerical model for heat and mass transfer of granular products in a fixed-bed tunnel dryer. The drying process is simulated under real operating conditions based on a thin layer model and experimental drying kinetics. A simplified heat and mass transfer numerical model is developed based on the governing equations and the drying rate of a thin layer bed of granular products.The obtained system of non-linear partial differential equations is numerically solved by a finite volume method. The turbulent airflow and granular bed convection coefficient as well as the effective conductivity are estimated using the turbulent airflow over flat-plate correlations. Simulations are compared with experimental data from drying of grapes in a thin layer model.In order to study the effects of the air inlet conditions on the relative moisture content and the drying time and therefore to optimise the tunnel dryer operation, the influences of different parameters essentially the air flow characteristics and the fixed-bed dryer length are examined. The numerical code allows establishing the drying front propagation for several operating conditions.     

Characterization of composite materials based on LDPE loaded with agricultural tunisian waste

This study investigated the use of an available agricultural Tunisian vine stem waste as a filler material. Composites of green materials were prepared using vine stems as filler and low density polyethylene (LDPE) as a matrix. A series of composite films was prepared by different loadings of the vine stem waste with 10–50% of the filler in 10% intervals. The ensuing materials were characterized by several techniques. The morphology of the composites was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal and mechanical properties were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), respectively. The results indicated that vine‐stem based particles enhanced the thermo‐mechanical properties of the thermoplastic matrix and demonstrated that this available lignocellulosic biomass of vine stems can be considered to be a promising filler material. However, the obtained result of water absorption indicated that the maximum limit of the filler content should not exceed 30% of vine stems. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:817–824, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Incineration of a small particle of wet sewage sludge: a numerical comparison between two states of the surrounding atmosphere

The main goal of this paper is to elaborate a mathematical model that represents the physics and chemistry involved when a small particle of wet sewage sludge is incinerated. Compared to existing models, our study includes both drying and heterogenous combustion of the pyrloysis residue of the processed sludge. This model relies on the assumption of homogeneous composition and temperature for the particle under study. It includes drying, pyrolysis (controlled by a four successives steps reaction pathway) and combustion of the resulting char. The ability of the model is illustrated using it in two different process conditions (representing thermogravemetric analysis and fluidized bed conditions) in order to investigate the influence of the surrounding atmosphere. It is found, that fluidized bed conditions reduce the burnout time of a small particle by enhancing the rate at which heat is transferred to that particle. It is also shown that high heating rates enhance the tar yield.